Bad Fish: Cell and Molecular Biology Edition by James A. Hewlett Science and Technology
Department Finger Lakes Community College Part I-Poisoned! One cvening during a rocent crip
to lndonesia, Dt. Marthall Westwood from the Montana Technical Institute sat down to a meal of
pufferfish and rice. Within an hour of returaing to his hotel room, Dr. Westwood felt numbness
in his lips and congue, which quickly spread to his face and neck. Before he could call the front
desk, he began to feel pains in his stomach and throat, which produced feelings of nauses and
eventually severe vomiring. Fearing that he had eaten some "bad fish" for dinner, De. Westwood
callod a local horpital to deucribe his condition. The numbriess in his lips and face made it
almost impossible for him to communicatc, but the hospital staft managed to at least understand
the address he gave them and they sent an ambulance in response. As De. Werwood was rushed
to the hospical, his breathing became increasingly difficult. Doctor's Notes The patient presented
in the ED with severe headache, diaphotesis, motor dysfunction. paresthesias, nauses, and an
ascending paralysis that spread to the upper body, arms, facc, and bead. The patient was cyanotic
and was bypoventilating. Within 50 minutes of presenting in the ED, De. Westwood developed
beadycarda with a BP of go/so. Atropine was administered in response to the bradycardia. IV
hydration, gasuric lavage, and activated charcoal followed a presumptive diagnosis of
tetrodotoxin poisoning based on the clinical presentation in the ED. Five houn after intervention,
the following vitals were noted: - BP I2s/79 - HR 78 bpm - Oxygen safuration: 97% on room air
Follow-up Within a few hours, Dr. Wertwood's condition improved and he was on his way ro a
full recovery. After discussing his case with his physician, he learned that he had probably been
the victim of a pufferfish poisoning. The active toxin in the tissuer of this fish is a chemical
called retrodotoxin. Tetrodotoxin is in a class of chemicals known as neurotoxins due to the face
that it has ies effects on nerve cells (neurons). Specifically, tecrodotoxin blocks volcage-gated
sodium ion channels on neurons. Questions 1. Explain why sodium ions need channels in order
to move into and out of cells. Describe the process by which this transport occurs. 2. Describe
the structure of a volmage-gated sodium ion channel. 3. Describe the function of the voltage-
gated sodium ion channel. In your description, expl 4. When nerve cells are at rest, there is an
unequal amount of posirive and negative charges on cither side of a channel gating and channel
inactivation. nerve cell membrane. This charge difference is called an clecrical potential.
Describe this "potential" when the 5. What is happening to the electrical potential of a neuron
when it generates an action potential? What is the neuron is at rest (rating potential). function of
the action potential in neurons? 6. Describe the role of sodi.
Bad Fish- Cell and Molecular Biology Edition by James A- Hewlett Scien.pdf
1. Bad Fish: Cell and Molecular Biology Edition by James A. Hewlett Science and Technology
Department Finger Lakes Community College Part I-Poisoned! One cvening during a rocent crip
to lndonesia, Dt. Marthall Westwood from the Montana Technical Institute sat down to a meal of
pufferfish and rice. Within an hour of returaing to his hotel room, Dr. Westwood felt numbness
in his lips and congue, which quickly spread to his face and neck. Before he could call the front
desk, he began to feel pains in his stomach and throat, which produced feelings of nauses and
eventually severe vomiring. Fearing that he had eaten some "bad fish" for dinner, De. Westwood
callod a local horpital to deucribe his condition. The numbriess in his lips and face made it
almost impossible for him to communicatc, but the hospital staft managed to at least understand
the address he gave them and they sent an ambulance in response. As De. Werwood was rushed
to the hospical, his breathing became increasingly difficult. Doctor's Notes The patient presented
in the ED with severe headache, diaphotesis, motor dysfunction. paresthesias, nauses, and an
ascending paralysis that spread to the upper body, arms, facc, and bead. The patient was cyanotic
and was bypoventilating. Within 50 minutes of presenting in the ED, De. Westwood developed
beadycarda with a BP of go/so. Atropine was administered in response to the bradycardia. IV
hydration, gasuric lavage, and activated charcoal followed a presumptive diagnosis of
tetrodotoxin poisoning based on the clinical presentation in the ED. Five houn after intervention,
the following vitals were noted: - BP I2s/79 - HR 78 bpm - Oxygen safuration: 97% on room air
Follow-up Within a few hours, Dr. Wertwood's condition improved and he was on his way ro a
full recovery. After discussing his case with his physician, he learned that he had probably been
the victim of a pufferfish poisoning. The active toxin in the tissuer of this fish is a chemical
called retrodotoxin. Tetrodotoxin is in a class of chemicals known as neurotoxins due to the face
that it has ies effects on nerve cells (neurons). Specifically, tecrodotoxin blocks volcage-gated
sodium ion channels on neurons. Questions 1. Explain why sodium ions need channels in order
to move into and out of cells. Describe the process by which this transport occurs. 2. Describe
the structure of a volmage-gated sodium ion channel. 3. Describe the function of the voltage-
gated sodium ion channel. In your description, expl 4. When nerve cells are at rest, there is an
unequal amount of posirive and negative charges on cither side of a channel gating and channel
inactivation. nerve cell membrane. This charge difference is called an clecrical potential.
Describe this "potential" when the 5. What is happening to the electrical potential of a neuron
when it generates an action potential? What is the neuron is at rest (rating potential). function of
the action potential in neurons? 6. Describe the role of sodium ions and sodium channels in the
action potential.
